Dove Day 2 / Deer Opener!

 So RePhil and I met over at Michael's house to load up at 4:45 am.  We hit the road for our 1:45 drive to the strip mine pits in Clinton, IN where Davey was camping.  We were not 2 miles down the road when a doe jumped in front of Michael's truck.  At first it crossed the road.  Then it turned around and tried to go back from whence it came.  Mistakes were made.  The truck hit her almost center with her head wrapping around the front quarter panel.  Michael had already hit the brakes and we were doing less than 30 mph.  There was a collision.  

We stopped and exited the truck.  RePhil and Michael surveyed the damage on the truck.  I walked back to check on the doe - saying a quick silent prayer that it was not my new truck that took out the deer!  Not that I'm hating on Michael's truck - in the least.  He has a steel bumper and there was hardly any damage.  It would have been very expensive had it been my truck.  All that plastic and fiberglass.  Yuck.  I dodged a bullet there.

Somehow the deer did not manage to make it.  Severe head injury?  Doubtful as she was holding it up when I found her.  Major internal damage?  Most likely as she expired quickly.  I'm like, ok, ready to cut out some backstraps for lunch?  Michael says, No.  Let's go hunting.  I'm like, it won't take me 2 minutes to grab the backstraps.  That wasn't the issue.  The issue was waiting on the sheriff's deputy, filling out the paperwork, and being 2 hours late to hunt doves.

Michael pops the bumper bits back into place and we drive on.  We meet Davey and Rob (aka Vince) at the lake.  We eat some Hardee's breakfast sammiches and put out our decoys.  Dan, the property owner who is nice enough to let us come hunt even though he doesn't, joined us for breakfast too.

The hunting was spotty, but when the doves came in, we unloaded on them.  We ended the day with ten to clean.  In fact, we saw more geese than we did doves.  We had two flocks fly over.  I was the only one with steel shot even though 3 of us had goose stamps.  And I missed six straight shots in a row.  Today, I was That Guy.  Bummer.  But we had fun!

Poor girl didn't survive to be eaten later.
Truck - 1 / Deer - 0

Looking back SE from our chairs to the other hunters.
The reeds help camouflage us - at least a little.

Same photo but this time in front of the reeds

Rob and Michael taking a break & waiting on doves to come in

L-R: Dan (property owner and non-hunter), Davey, and RePhil.
Those may or may not have been plastic cups full of Blanton's Single Barrel bourbon.
#Yummy


 

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